Sprayer



R. R. ROOT Jan. 18, 1944.

SPRAYER Filed Oct. 9, 1941' INVENT OR. BY P4424 ,6 @007- "M W fiW ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 18, 1944 SPRAYER Ralph R. Root, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to The Root Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 9, 1941, Serial No. 414,345

Claims. (Cl. 299-88) This invention relates to sprayers or liquid atomizers of the portable manually operable type and as one of its objects aims to provide an improved-sprayer of this kind which can be easily operated and which is of a simple constructionenabling the same to be economically manufactured and sold.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved sprayer of the kind having a reciprocable manually operable air pump and in which the air delivered by the pump is supplied to an atomizing unit in such a manner as to produce a substantially continuous discharge of, atomized liquid while the sprayer is being operated.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved sprayer having separate air and liquid chambers and an atomizingunit connected with said chambers to receive air and liquid therefrom for producing a discharge of atomized liquid and in which a pump connected with the air chamber is manually operable to supply air to such chamber at a ratein excess of that required by the atomizing unit so as tov cause a substantially continuous flow of air to the atomizing unit while the sprayer is in use.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved sprayer of this kind having an atomizing unit containing an auxiliary liquid chamber and in which the .supply of air to the atomizing unit causes liquid to be sucked into said auxiliary chamber so as to provide a temporary supply of such liquid during operation of the sprayer in an inverted position.

More detailed reference will now be made to the drawing in which I have illustrated what I now regard to be a preferred form of my improved sprayer, but it will be understood, of

course, that my invention is not limited 'to the particular form of sprayer herein disclosed but includes all similar devices coming within the scope of the appended claims.

The drawing shows my improved sprayer in the form of a portable'manually operable device of the kind commonly used in spraying or atomizing insecticides and other liquids. The sprayer here illustrated comprises a housing It] and a reciprocable manually operable air pump ll connected with the housing and having a'barrel or cylinder Ha which forms a, handle for holding the sprayer during the operation thereof. The device also includes an atomizing unit 12 from which the desired stream or spray l3 of atomized liquid is discharged. I

The housing In contains an air chamber I4 adapted'to temporarily hold air under pressure and a liquid chamber l5 adapted to'holda body 16 of insecticideor other liquid to be atomized. The housing may be of any suitable construction which will provide these chambers and, as here Yet another object of the invention is to pro-- vide an improved sprayer of this kind having an atomizing unit which is so constructed and arranged that it will permit satisfactory operation of the sprayer in inverted position and will at all times prevent leakage or dripping of liquid from the discharge orifice.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings:

Fig. l is a partial'longitudinal sectional view taken through a sprayer constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken through the device substantially as indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view, on a larger scale, taken through the atomizing unit.

shown, may comprise a pair of cylindrical cuplike sheet metal members Illa and Ilib having their open ends connected together with a disk forming a fluid-tight partition wall I! therebetween. These cup-like members 10a and lb may have outturned annular flanges l8 and i9 thereon and may be connected with each other by spinning or beading the flange l9 over the flange [8. The disk or partition wall I! may be disposed between the flanges l8 and I9 so that it will be retained in place after the beading or spinning operation. The cup-member lflb may have a filling spout or neck 20 thereon through which the liquid It to be atomized can be introduced into the chamber i5 and which may be closed by means of the screw cap 2|.

The air pumpll may have the inner end of its cylinder or barrel Ila connected directly to the cup-member Illa. This connection may be formed in any suitable way such. as by telescoping the end of the cylinder Ila into a short tubular extension 22 provided on the cup member 12a. This connection may be reenforced by a plug member 23 connected with the cup-member Mia and having a portion extending into and closing the end of the cylinder II a. An air passage Mex-tending through the plug 23 connects the compression chamber 25 of the cylinder with the air chamber 14 and contains a check valve which is normally closed but which is adapted to be opened by the pressure of the air being forced into the chamber I4 by the pump. This check valve may comprise a ball element 25 and a compression spring 21 normally urging the ball 26 outwardly against its seat. A piston 28 of the cup type is reciprocable in the cylinder Ma and may be actuated by a rod projecting from the cylinder and carrying a suitable handle 39.

The atomizing unit I2 is an important part of my improved sprayer and may be in the form of a. cartridge-like unit having air and liquid supply tubes 3I and 32 leading thereto'and also having H with the air chamber I4, and its upper or outer end may be seated in a counter-bore 44 forming a continuation of the passage 4|.

of the air tube 3 I which extends through the para nozzle or orifice plate 33 at its outer en.d pro-g,

vided with a discharge opening or orifice 36. The unit I2 may be mounted at any suitable point on the sprayer, but is preferably located in a protected position such as in the main liquid chamber I5 with its outer or nozzle end extending slightly through an opening 35 of the wall of thecup-member IIIb, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The opening 35 isprefe rably located in the annular corner of the cup-member IEIb,that is, adjacent the junctionof its side and end walls, and at a point Corresponding with the top of the liquid chamber I5 when the sprayer is in its normal or upright position. When the atomizing unit I2 is secured in: the opening 35, it extends in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined direction when the sprayer is in its normal or upright position, and extends in'a forward and downward direction when the sprayer is inverted. With the atomizing unit located in this position it will ,be seen that the spray orstream I3 will normally be :projected in an upward and outward direction, which is the direction usually desired for devices of this. kind, but can be projected laterally or downwardly-by simply rotating the sprayer about 'its'longitudinal axis through an appropriate an- It will be understood, of course, that when gle. the atomizing unit I2 is mounted in the opening; 35, it is soldered orotherwise secured therein so as-;to prevent leakage of the liquid I6 therearound.

-As-shown in Fig. 3, the atomizing unit I2 comprises a cartridge-like member or housing 36 havinga suction chamber 31 in the outer end thereof just inwardly of the orifice plate 33 and also having 'a relatively larger liquid chamber 38 spaced inwardly from the suction chamber. The chamber 33 serves as an auxiliary liquid supply chamber-from which the liquid to be atomized is drawn'or supplied during the time that the device is being operated in an inverted position.

Since .the device will ordinarily be operated in an inverted position only during a relatively short interval of time, the auxiliary chamber 38 can be of relatively small size, but it will be understood, of course, that this chamber can be made larger or smaller than that shown in the drawing. The orifice plate 33 may be soldered or otherwise suitably retained in the outer end of the housing 36.

The .atomizing unit is provided with an air discharge passage 4| located opposite the orifice 3 so sea discharge air through the latter and across the suction passage 31. Duringthe discharge-of air-through the orifice 34 by the pas sage '4] a suction is created in the suction chamb.erL3.'l, causing liquid to flow to the latter chamber through a passage 42, which connects the suction chamber with the auxiliary chamber 3%. The passage .4! is preferably somewhat smaller than the orifice 34 and the discharge of air through the latter not only causes the above.-

The portion tition :wall' I! may be soldered or otherwise sefcured therein to prevent leakage between the air'and liquid chambers I4 and I5. The liquid supply tube 32 may have its lower or inner end located adjacent the bottom of the liquid chamber I5 and may have its upper or outer end in open communication with the auxiliary chamber 38 adjacentthe upper or outer-endof such chamber, as shown in Fig. 3.

In using the sprayer, the device may be held or carried by grasping the cylinder Ila of the pump, and by operating the handle 30, air is 42 into the suction chamber.

forced into the chamber I4 past the ball element 26. Air from the chamber I4 passes through the tube 3I and is discharged by the passage II through the nozzle opening ororifice 34. The suction created in the chamber 31 causes liquid to be sucked up through the tube 32, into the auxiliary chamber 38, and through the passage By locating the open end of the tube 32 adjacent the outer or upper end of the auxiliary chamber 38, it will be seen that the auxiliary chamber will be filled or substantially filled before liquid travels through the passage 52 to the suction chamber 31. However, since the auxiliary chamber 38 will ordinarily be of relatively small Volume, only one'or two strokes of the pump handle 30 will be needed of atomized liquid from the nozzle opening or discharge orifice 34.

The air pump II is capable of delivering air into the chamber I4 at a faster rate than it is required by the atomizing unit I2 so that a reserve air pressure is immediately built up and maintained in the air chamber. This reserve causes a steady supply of air under pressure to be delivered to the unit I2 through the tube 3| in spite of the intermittent air delivery by the reciprocable pump II.

The passage 32 connecting the suction chamber 3'5 with the auxiliary chamber 38 is preferably located at the upper side of the atomizing unit I2, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the device is shifted to its inverted position, that is, with the atomizing unit pointing forwardly and downwardly, the passage G2 will then be adjacent the bottom or low point of the atomizing unit and the temporary supply of liquid contained in the auxiliary chamber 38 will flow readily through this passage to the suction chamber 37. It will be seen that by locating the passage 42 adjacent the top of the atomizing unit I2, the liquid contained in this passage will immediately drain back into chamber 33 as soon as the operation of the device is discontinued and there will be substantially no leakage or dripping of unatomized liquid from the nozzle opening or orifice 34. It will be understood, of course, that when the device is operated in its inverted position, the body of-liquid I 6 shifts in the chamber 55 so that it cannot be sucked up through the tube 32, but at this time the liquid contained in the auxiliary chamber 38 provides the supply of liquid to be atomized.

For holding the device in an upright position while not in use, I may provide a suitable rest or stand 45 which may be in the form of a depending plate connected with the cup-member 10a adjacent the bottom thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing, it will now be readily understood that I have provided an improved sprayer or liquid atomizing device which is of very simple and economical construction, but which will deliver a substantially continuous stream of atomized liquid during the operation of the reciprocable pump. It will also be seen that the device is capable of being operated in any position and that leakage or dripping of liquid from the nozzle is substantially prevented at all times. Moreover, it will be noted that the splashing about of the liquid in the main liquid chamber will have no influence on the atomizing unit and that the latter will continue to deliver the fine spray desired.

While I have illustrated and described my improved sprayer in a more or less detailed manner, it will be understood, of course, that I do not Wish to be limited to the particular details and arrangements herein disclosed, but regard my invention as including such changes and modifications as do not constitute a departure from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sprayer of the character described, a liquid chamber, an air chamber, an atomizing unit having continuously open supply passages connecting the same with said liquid chamber and said air chamber and also having a nozzle for discharging atomized liquid, and a reciprocable air pump operable to supply air to the air chamber at a rate to maintain therein a pressure suflicient to cause a substantially continuous flow of air under pressure to the atomizing unit while the sprayer is in use, said atomizing unit having an auxiliary liquid chamber therein which is connected with said nozzle and the first mentioned liquid chamber so that a temporary supply of said liquid will be trapped in the auxiliary chamber during operation of the sprayer in normal position and will be fed from the auxiliary chamber to said nozzle during operation of the sprayer in an inverted position.

2. In a sprayer of the character described, a liquid chamber, an air chamber, an atomizing unit having a discharge orifice, an air pump operable to maintain pressure in said air chamber, means providing a continuously open restricted connection for discharging air from said air chamber through said orifice continuously during the operation of the sprayer for atomizing liquid and creating a suction, and an auxiliary chamber in said unit adapted to receive liquid from the liquid chamber and to supply it to said orifice in response to said suction, said auxiliary chamber being connected with said liquid chamber and orifice so thata temporary supply of said liquid will be trapped in the auxiliary chamber during operation of the sprayer in normal position and will be fed from the auxiliary chamber to said orifice during operation of the sprayer in an inverted position.

3. In a sprayer of the character described, a main liquid chamber, an air" chamber, an atomizing unit having a discharge orifice for atomized liquid, said unit having walls defining a suction chamber adjacent said orifice and communicating therewith and an auxiliary liquid chamber in communication with the suction chamber, an air pump operable to maintain pressure in said air chamben'means providing a passage connecting the upper portion of said auxiliary liquid chamber with said main liquid chamber, and means providing a passage for supplying air from said air chamber to said unit and discharging theair through said orifice so as to suck liquid from said main liquid chamber into said auxiliary chamber and thence into said suction chamber, said auxiliary chamber serving to trap and hold a temporary supply of said liquid while the sprayer is being operated in a normal position and to feed said temporary supply to said orifice during operation of the sprayer in an inverted position.

4. A sprayer comprising a substantially cylindrical housing having main air and liquid chambers therein, an air pump operable to force air into the air chamber, and an elongatedseli-contained atomizing unit having walls defining auxiliary chambers adapted to receive air and liquid from said main chambers and to discharge atomized liquid in a substantially steady stream while said pump is being operated, said unit being located in one of said main chambers so as to project therefrom at a point adjacent the junction of its side and end walls such that the atomized liquid will be discharged by the unit in an upwardly and forwardly direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sprayer.

5. A sprayer comprising a substantially cylindrical housing having an air chamber and a main liquid chamber therein, an air pump adapted to deliver air into said air chamber and to maintain pressure therein while the sprayer is in use, an atomizing unit located in the liquid chamber adjacent the top thereof with one end of said unit projecting from the liquid chamber and provided with a discharge orifice, said unit having walls defining a suction chamber adjacent said orifice and an auxiliary liquid chamber spaced inwardly of said suction chamber, a tube connecting the auxiliary chamber with said main liquid chamber and having communication with the auxiliary chamber adjacent the outer end of the latter, said unit containing a passage connecting said auxiliary chamber with said suction chamber and located adjacent the top of said unit, and means for supplying air from the air chamber to said unit and discharging such air through said orifice so as to cause atomization of liquid and to cause liquid to be sucked into said auxiliary chamber.

RALPH R. ROOT. 

